Stephenson:Neal:Quicksilver:520:Spij (Sander van Malssen)

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

Modern-day travelers to the Hague who wish to retrace our heroes' footsteps should know that the canal referred to here is called Spui in modern spelling, or Spuij in somewhat older spelling, or Spuy in the most probable spelling of the times in which this story takes place. I sincerely regret to report that, despite the vagaries of Dutch spelling of the time, Spij is not an acceptable spelling for this canal's name in any period of time whatsoever.

Modern-day travelers to the Hague who wish to literally retrace our heroes' footsteps should be warned that it is on no account advisable to try and skate over the Spui these days as it was filled in about a 100 years ago and is now populated by trams. It is important to know in this context that trams in the Netherlands are not subject to any legal speed limits.